Liberal Democrat energy spokesman Lord Redesdale moved an amendment to strengthen the Government’s Climate Change Bill. The Bill sets out a target of reducing CO2 emissions by 60% by 2050. Lord Redesdale proposed raising this target to 80%.

Lord Redesdale argued that this was needed to reflect the responsibility of the UK as one of the first industrial nations and to provide an opportunity to gain a technological advantage in modern technologies.

Moving his amendment, Lord Redesdale said:

We should not look at moving up to an 80 per cent level as a problem; it is an opportunity. If we are to move to a low-carbon economy, we must look at adapting all our technologies. If every country in the world were also honour-bound to meet those obligations, it would give us a position in the market place that would be extremely helpful. We need only look at the Danes taking on the wind turbine industry to see that we missed out significantly in that area.